See announcement below for an invaluable opportunity to provide comment at the beginning, when its needed the most, for a new Lone Elm Road & K-10 Interchange. Some of you may be saying “Where? I don’t ride across K-10 there.” Your right, Lone Elm does not cross K-10 today, but this interchange could be the first safe bicycle and pedestrian connection between Olathe and Lenexa.

This is a rare opportunity to make a statement to Lenexa officials about the importance of on-road bicycle accommodation. Haven’t you noticed how Lenexa totally ignores on-road bicycling? Well, here’s an opportunity to speak up where they can not ignore you.

Bike lanes through the length of the project on Lone Elm Road. Lenexa doesn’t build them (but should) and Olathe has not built them on Lone Elm Road south of the K-10, but should. Why? Any interchange is a bottleneck for all traffic, which results in the greatest conflict between users. Thus interchanges in particular should be design to the highest level possible for the most vulnerable users – bicyclists and pedestrians. The highest level includes sidewalks on both sides and bike lane on the road. These two elements, when properly combined, can reduce the conflict tremendously, making safer for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians alike.

Olathe School District has a major education and activity campus just south of the the proposed interchange at College Boulevard, including Olathe NW High School, Prairie Trail Middle (Junior High) School, Meadowlane Elementary School and the College Boulevard Activity Complex where approximately 1/2 of all Olathe School District league games for football, baseball, soccer and softball are played. The student population is currently +/-2,600 at these three schools. The schools themselves have a student capacity of +/-3,500. Much of the attendance boundaries for these schools includes southern Lenexa. A properly designed interchange could at least provide the opportunity for older students to safely walk or bike to school instead of having to bus or drive.

The K-State – Olathe Innovation Campus and KSU Biosciences Center is a regionally significant high-tech development immediately south of of the interchange area. Bicycle commuters from north of K-10 would be able to safely access the campus and center if the Lone Elm Road/K-10 Interchange were designed to accommodate on-road bicyclists. Bike lanes provide the highest level of commuter support in an area with the growth patterns of NW Olathe and SW Lenexa.

Lenexa has major commercial and employment centers planned in the vicinity of the interchange and are hoping the interchange will spur this development. Employment centers means jobs. Jobs means traffic. Commercial development means shopper. SHoppers mean traffic. Bicyclists are commuters, shoppers and traffic and must be considered in any major long-term infrastructure project.